The Lay of Havelok the Dane

In Short

The Lay of Havelok the Dane is a thirteenth-century Middle English chivalric romance detailing the parallel disinheritances and eventual triumphs of two royal orphans: Havelok of Denmark and Goldeborw of England. Betrayed by treacherous guardians, Havelok grows up in poverty under the care of a loyal fisherman, while Goldeborw is imprisoned by an ambitious regent. Through physical prowess, miraculous signs of divine right, and unwavering popular loyalty, the pair unite, regain their rightful crowns, and exact harsh justice on their tormentors. It endures as a vivid, egalitarian masterpiece blending aristocratic high adventure with gritty working-class realism.

The Story

The narrative opens with parallel political crises in England and Denmark. In England, the dying King Athelwald entrusts his young daughter Goldeborw and his realm to Earl Godrich of Cornwall, making him swear on holy relics to guard the maiden until she is old enough to marry the strongest, fairest man in the land. Meanwhile in Denmark, King Birkabeyn dies and leaves his three young children, including his son Havelok, in the care of Earl Godard. Treachorously, Godard slits the throats of Havelok’s two sisters and prepares to slay Havelok as well. Moved briefly by pity, Godard spares the boy from his own blade but commands a poor fisherman named Grim to take the child and drown him in the sea.

That night, Grim and his wife Dame Leve discover the child’s royal identity when a brilliant light shines from his mouth while he sleeps, accompanied by a glowing birthmark on his shoulder. Realizing Havelok is the rightful heir of Denmark, Grim flees by ship with his family and the young prince. A storm washes them ashore on the eastern coast of England, where Grim establishes a humble fishing settlement that grows into the town of Grimsby. Havelok is raised as Grim's son, remaining ignorant of his high birth. He grows into a youth of miraculous size, strength, and appetite. Wanting to earn his own keep rather than burden his foster father, Havelok travels to Lincoln to seek work, becoming a kitchen scullion for the Earl’s cook.

In Lincoln, Havelok distinguishes himself by carrying immense loads and winning local athletic games, notably throwing a heavy stone further than any other competitor. Earl Godrich, watching this display of raw power, schemes to fulfill the letter of his oath to Athelwald while ruining Goldeborw’s royal status. He forces Goldeborw to marry the scullion Havelok, believing he is marrying her to a base-born peasant. Though initially ashamed of her husband's low social standing, Goldeborw learns the truth on their wedding night when she witnesses the heavenly light issuing from his mouth and hears an angel reveal his royal destiny.

Accompanied by Grim's sons, Havelok and Goldeborw travel to Denmark. Disguised as merchants, they earn the support of Earl Ubbe, a loyal nobleman who recognized Birkabeyn's traits in Havelok. When Ubbe also witnesses the miraculous light radiating from the sleeping prince, he rallies the Danish lords and knights to swear fealty to Havelok. Havelok defeats the villainous Godard in battle; the traitor is flayed, dragged behind an ass, and hanged. With Denmark secured, Havelok gathers a vast fleet and invades England to reclaim Goldeborw’s inheritance. Godrich is defeated in combat, tried by the English barons, and burned at the stake. Havelok and Goldeborw are crowned king and queen of both realms, rewarding their loyal supporters with noble titles and marriages before reigning together in peace and happiness for sixty years.

How It Unfolds

The treacherous regents When the rightful kings of England and Denmark die, they commit their young children to trusted lords who quickly break their holy oaths. Earl Godrich imprisons Princess Goldeborw in Dover, while Earl Godard slays Havelok's sisters and orders the young prince drowned.

Flight to England The fisherman Grim discovers Havelok's divine royalty through a supernatural light coming from the sleeping boy's mouth. Instead of drowning him, Grim rescues the prince and sails with his family to England, founding the town of Grimsby.

The kitchen scullion Growing into a giant of a man with a massive appetite, Havelok leaves home to earn his own bread as a kitchen porter in Lincoln. He proves his supernatural strength by carrying heavy loads and throwing a massive stone far beyond the reach of all rivals.

A forced marriage Seeking to dishonor Princess Goldeborw and secure his hold on England, Earl Godrich forces her to marry Havelok, believing him to be a base scullion. On their wedding night, a bright flame and an angelic voice reveal Havelok's true royal lineage to his bride.

Reclaiming Denmark Havelok returns to Denmark disguised as a merchant and wins the backing of Earl Ubbe, who recognizes the light of kingship. After a fierce battle, the tyrant Godard is captured and executed, establishing Havelok as king of Denmark.

Triumph and justice Leading a joint army, Havelok invades England to restore Goldeborw to her throne and defeats the army of the traitor Godrich. Godrich is burned at the stake for his treason, and Havelok and Goldeborw rule jointly over a united kingdom.

The People

• Havelok: The central hero, an orphaned prince of Denmark who grows up as a fisherman's foster son and kitchen scullion. Driven by an appetite for work and an instinctive nobility, he remains modest despite his superhuman physical strength. Through divine signs and physical valor, he rises from the scullery to become the rightful ruler of two nations.
• Goldeborw: The rightful princess of England, locked away by a deceitful regent who seeks her inheritance. Proud and noble, she initially suffers shame at her forced marriage to a kitchen boy, but her devotion is ignited when she learns his true royal destiny. She becomes his equal partner in reclaiming their ancestral lands.
• Grim: A poor Danish fisherman whose basic integrity alters the fate of kingdoms. Though ordered to murder the young prince, his conscience and reverence for the divine mark upon Havelok lead him to rescue the child, flee to England, and raise him with unconditional care.
• Earl Godard: The villainous Danish regent entrusted with King Birkabeyn's children. Coldly ruthless, he murders Havelok's sisters and seeks the boy's death to usurp the crown, ultimately suffering a brutal public execution when his treason is uncovered.
• Earl Godrich: The false guardian of England who breaks his sacred oath on holy relics to keep Goldeborw from her throne. Ambitious and cunning, he attempts to degrade the princess through a forced marriage, leading to his eventual defeat and execution.
• Earl Ubbe: A noble Danish lord who remained faithful to the memory of Havelok's father. Upon recognizing Havelok's identity through divine signs, he rallies the Danish aristocracy to back their true king.

In Its Own Voice

As the dying King Athelwald prepares his soul for the afterlife, he subjects himself to dramatic penance before his nobility:

"And ofte dede him sore swinge, / And wit hondes smerte dinge; / So þat þe blod ran of his fleys, / Þat tendre was, and swiþe neys."

When Havelok realizes how much food he consumes as a young man in Grim's household, he resolves that he must earn his own keep through physical labor:

"It ne may nouth ben þus longe, / Goddot! y wile with þe gange, / For to leren sum god to gete; / Swinken ich wolde for mi mete."

At the climax of the narrative, after the traitorous Godard is condemned for his crimes against the royal family, the narrator details his swift execution:

"Sket was þe swike on þe asse leyd, / And led unto þat ilke grene, / And brend til asken al bidene."

What It's Really About

At its heart, The Lay of Havelok the Dane is an exploration of legitimacy, justice, and the sacred duties of rulership. Written in a period concerned with legal oaths and the abuse of aristocratic power, the romance contrasts true nobility with moral corruption. Havelok’s physical strength and radiant light are external markers of a divine right that cannot be extinguished by poverty or menial servitude.

The story insists that true leadership is rooted in labor, humility, and protection of the vulnerable. While the false regents betray their trusts for land and power, Havelok proves his worthiness to rule not in the court, but through honest manual labor as a porter and scullion. Wealth and status are portrayed as temporary gifts, subject to absolute moral accountability under divine law.

Why Read It Today

The Lay of Havelok the Dane stands out among medieval romances for its grounded, working-class atmosphere and kinetic storytelling. Unlike many contemporary courtly tales that focus exclusively on tournaments and chivalric etiquette, this narrative immerses the reader in the tangible realities of medieval daily life—the smell of fish, the weight of kitchen baskets, the communal excitement of local athletic games, and the raw mechanics of physical labor. Its hero is as comfortable carrying meat for a town cook as he is wielding a sword on the battlefield.

Modern readers will find immense pleasure in its fast-paced, unpretentious narrative drive and its deeply satisfying arc of righteous retribution. While the Middle English dialect presents an initial hurdle, the poem's straightforward syntax, vivid imagery, and rhythmic verse make it remarkably accessible. The harsh violence of its feudal justice and its archaic legal concepts reflect the rugged period of its creation, yet the core themes—the dignity of honest work, the triumph of the oppressed, and the inevitable downfall of corrupt authority—remain as vibrant and emotionally resonant today as they were over seven centuries ago.